Oil smell in the cabin of Acura??

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My Acura in signature I noticed today with the heat on & car running while I went into a convenience store -- came out & the cabin smelt like oil smoke/burning oil? This is the first time I ever noticed this smell before & its not the first time I ran the heat or defroster this Fall neither. Car has no leaks that are visable -- wondering what & where this smell is coming from? Car uses no oil in between 7500 mile oil changes. There are no drops/drips in my garage or driveway what so ever.
 
This pretty well has to be an oil leak.
Check the oil filter base gasket as this is the most likely source of a sudden leak.
You can then see whether you have a valve cover leak, another solid possibility.
For your sake, I'd hope the former since swapping out the oil filter would be a whole lot easier than changing a valve cover gasket in the cold of late autumn.
 
When the engine is cold again, run your finger along the bottom of the valve cover where it meets the cylinder head. Anything on your finger ? A very small oil leak might not produce smoke when it drips on something hot until the leak gets bigger.
 
Originally Posted By: thorromig
My Acura in signature I noticed today with the heat on & car running while I went into a convenience store -- came out & the cabin smelt like oil smoke/burning oil? This is the first time I ever noticed this smell before & its not the first time I ran the heat or defroster this Fall neither. Car has no leaks that are visable -- wondering what & where this smell is coming from? Car uses no oil in between 7500 mile oil changes. There are no drops/drips in my garage or driveway what so ever.


I know just about nothing about an Acura . However , I can relate an oil smell experience we had on our Chevy Sonic 1.8l .

This engine has a " paper " cartridge oil filter with a black plastic oil filter cover & o-ring .

http://www.rockauto.com/info/690/PG5839__ra_p.jpg

http://www.rockauto.com/info/342/55593189_Alternate1__ra_p.jpg

Previous oil / filter change , I was in a hurry / lazy & did not change the o-ring . Shortly after that oil / filter change , we started to smell hot oil in the cabin . Oil was seeping from the filter cover , down onto the exhaust system .

Never dripped on the drive , that part of the oil system seems to only be under pressure while the engine is running .

Changed the filter / o-ring ( new o-ring comes with every filter ) . Sprayed the area down with cleaner . Replaced the rubber gasket on the oil drain plug when I drained it . Filled the engine with new Dexos spec synthetic oil , sprayed the oil pan and exhaust area with cleaner . Maybe , that took care of it .

So , in conclusion , I would start looking for a leal in the oil system . Did this start shortly after an oil / filter change ?

Best of luck to you all , :)
 
Sparkplug tube seals would be my guess if there's no visible oil leakage. Pretty common with higher mileage and rarely harmful.
 
Don't forget to check the power steering hose that runs over the rear valve cover. There's a recall on them and it should have been replaced by now, but if not it will leak right over the rear header and potentially catch fire. You won't see any drips under the car also.

You'll know if it is the upgraded hose if there is a heat shield wire tied to the hose right near the clamp closest the firewall.
 
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The Acura currently has 101,326 miles on odometer. Its a beautiful sunny day here in my parts. Gonna put it up on the Rhino ramps & do a good inspection to clarify where the leak is coming from. Nothing to be seen from above.
 
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Our '11 MDX gets a burnt oil smell in the cabin on high(er) RPM acceleration, like merging onto a highway. It's most predominant after the car has been sitting or wasn't taken to above approx. 3.5K RPM in a while. If we're on a long trip, after several merges, it won't happen. PCV?
 
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Originally Posted By: gofast182
Our '11 MDX gets a burnt oil smell in the cabin on high(er) RPM acceleration, like merging onto a highway. It's most predominant after the car has been sitting or wasn't taken to above approx. 3.5K RPM in a while. If we're on a long trip, after several merges, it won't happen. PCV?


I'll take Valve Covers for $200, Alex.
confused.gif
 
^ I wouldn't think PCV, given one of the purposes of that system is to prevent gasses from going straight to the atmosphere. I'd again guess at plug tube seals. Something else to consider could be drippage from a recent oil change or a little rear main seal seepage. I know our 2008 Honda Odyssey always had a little oil dampness at the bottom of the bell housing due to RMS seepage. The area was close to exhaust piping, so that's a possible cause of burning oil smell if things get really hot under there.
 
Checked out the Acura this past weekend while it was nice out & up on the Rhino Ramps. Bottom of motor, trans is bone dry. Must be something internally im thinking now??
 
Yikes! I'd replace it with an oem one. If it's anything like the PCV valve in the K24, usually the internal spring breaks around the 60k mark. I think the manufacturer recommendation is to replace around 100k though.
 
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